Paul makes a passionate defense of the gospel of grace in Galatians 2:11-21, emphasizing justification through faith in Christ alone. He expresses the importance of understanding grace over law. Paul’s transformed life drives his unwavering commitment to champion grace over legalism, urging believers to rest in Christ’s finished work on the cross and reject the burden of earning God’s favor through human effort. Paul clearly describes the freedom of grace, challenging Christians to live empowered by Christ’s love rather than shackled by rigid rules.
Consider the story of Maggie, a 10-year-old adoptee who scrubs floors and memorizes rules, desperate to prove her worth to her new family while being unaware of their unconditional love. This image captures the struggle of many Christians who, trapped in legalism, labor to earn God’s acceptance, forgetting that Christ’s cross has already made them family. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes to free us from the bondage of legalism, reminding believers that we have been set free by God’s grace.
In Galatians 2:11-14, Paul confronts a crucial issue in the early church. When Peter, who once ate freely with Gentile believers in Antioch, withdraws under pressure from Jewish Christians advocating circumcision, his hypocrisy suggests that Gentiles must conform to Jewish laws to be fully accepted. Paul’s bold public rebuke of Peter underscores the stakes. Peter’s actions threaten to divide the church and dilute the gospel’s core truth, which is that salvation comes through faith in Christ, not the works of the law. We discover that legalism, by imposing extra-biblical requirements, fosters division and obscures the gospel’s liberating power.
Paul’s argument in Galatians 2:15-16 drives home that no one, not even Jews privileged with the law, can earn salvation through human effort. Justification (being declared righteous) flows solely from faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice (His finished work on the cross). Grace, Paul insists, levels the playing field, uniting Jews and Gentiles in shared dependence on Christ.
The struggle with legalism and the freedom we have in Christ’s grace can be seen in what led to John Wesley’s 1738 Aldersgate experience. Wesley, a disciplined clergyman, founded the “Holy Club” to pursue holiness through fasting and good works, yet he doubted his salvation. After returning from a failed mission in America he heard Martin Luther’s preface to Romans. He realized that salvation comes through faith alone, describing how he felt his heart “strangely warmed.” This moment transformed Wesley’s ministry, sparking a movement rooted in God’s free grace. Wesley understood what Augustine proclaimed many years earlier, “The grace of God does not find men fit for salvation, but makes them so,” urging believers to trust in Christ’s righteousness rather than their own performance.
In Galatians 2:17-19, Paul clarifies the law’s purpose. It reveals human sinfulness, pointing to Christ as its fulfillment. The law is like a GPS guiding you to a destination (Christ), but it does not drive the car. Nor do we circle back to it. To cling to the law after receiving grace is to rebuild a prison that Christ has torn down.
Galatians 2:20-21 unveils grace’s transformative power. Believers die to their old selves, and Christ lives in them through faith. It is like a potter reshaping discarded clay into a graceful vessel, symbolizing how Christ molds hardened hearts into carriers of His love. Legalism, Paul warns, nullifies grace, implying Christ’s death was in vain. Charles Wesley expresses this truth in his hymn, “And Can It Be That I Shall Gain?” and I paraphrase, “The Life I live is not my own; Christ is living in me. Grace is not just forgiveness, but empowerment to live for Christ.”
I encourage us to reflect on where legalism creeps into our faith journey, such as judging others by appearances, adding rules to the gospel, or striving to earn God’s love. The person set free by God’s grace is like a prisoner set free and stepping into sunlight. He does not desire to once again be imprisoned. I urge you to reject the chains of legalism. I implore you not to exchange your freedom in Christ for the prison of legalism.
Paul’s defense in Galatians 2:11-21 reveals the heart of the gospel. We are justified by faith in Christ alone, not works of the law. Legalism divides and burdens, but grace unties and frees. We should surrender daily to Christ’s indwelling presence, trusting His sacrifice to guide our lives. Empowered by grace, we believers are called to live as vessels of Christ’s love, unshackled from the burdens of legalism and transformed by His boundless love. Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone)!